NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Sharks will have two players on Team Canada after left wing Patrick Marleau and defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic were named Tuesday to the roster that will defend its gold medal at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

But with San Jose this year, it’s almost as much about the players who did not make the team as the two who will compete in Russia next month.

Logan Couture, who had been on most lists as a lock, learned he would not be part of Team Canada one day after it was disclosed he would undergo hand surgery Wednesday.

Two other Sharks who were Marleau’s teammates in the 2010 Vancouver games — Joe Thornton and Dan Boyle — also failed to make the team.

Couture didn’t try to hide his disappointment. He could have been selected, then replaced if the injury had not healed, but Couture said he was told that surgery was not a factor — that there were simply better players.

“I have a biased opinion,” Couture said, “but I felt I should have been on that team. I’ve been left off a lot of teams in my past. Hopefully I can prove people wrong going forward.”

This will be the second Olympic competition for Marleau.

“This is a great honor to be able to represent your country,” Marleau, 34, said. “I’ve been lucky enough to do it in the past and I’m excited to do it again.”

Vlasic, 26, will represent Canada for the first time at hockey’s top international event.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “Facetimed with my wife this morning, waiting for the announcement and we’re very happy. It’ll be a thrill to represent my country at the highest level.”

Both Thornton and Boyle took the news in stride.

Thornton’s anticipated omission already had drawn attention because he leads the NHL with 43 assists and is third in overall scoring with 48 points. He said he really was not disappointed.

“You look at the roster. Canada’s really stacked,” Thornton said. “I’ve had the privilege of playing in the Olympics, World Cup. It’s a hard team to make and I hope they win the gold.”

Boyle said his game hasn’t been up to par since suffering a concussion in an Oct. 15 game against the St. Louis Blues when he was driven into the board by Maxim Lapierre.

“It’s been a tough road back from the concussion for me,” Boyle said. “I’m OK with it because of the way things went this year.”

Sharks goalie Antti Niemi was one of three NHL netminders selected to play for Team Finland at Sochi. “It’s a huge deal for me. It’s a once in a lifetime chance to be part of the Olympics,” said Niemi, who will compete for the starting job with Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins and Kari Lehtonen of the Dallas Stars.

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